Abstract: An assessment of the somatoscopy and anthropometry of 374 Miao nationality adults (196 males and 178 females) living in Wangka village of Fuquan city in Guizhou was carried out in July 2004. These individuals were aged between 20 and 55 years, and included parents, and paternal and maternal grandparents. Twenty-eight observations and sixty-four measurements were made.
The results of the assessment are summarized as follows:
1. The average stature of males is 1 542.13mm, and of females is 1 443.91mm, both considered to be of the short type. Arm span is longer than that of stature in both sexes. Most of the individuals were characterized by brachycephaly, hyperleptoproscopy, and mesorrhiny. The Miao nationality in this sample belongs to the South Asian type of Mongoloid race.
2. Comparing the Miao in Wangka village with 18 other minorities living in southern China, the physical character of the Miao is most closely related to the Baiku Yao living in Libo County of Guizhou and Nandan county of Guangxi, and is remotely related to those of the Maonan in Guizhou, Dong in Hunan.

Key words: Somatoscopy; Anthropometry; Physical anthropology; Miao nationality; Guizhou